SERVANTS' REGISTRY OFFICES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 19 October 1907, Page 5

SERVANTS' REGISTRY OFFICES.

Per Press Association. Dunedin, Friday, local labor bureau proprietors are BHUlderably perturbed oyer the alte?d •cale of fees unde the Servants' Registry fficn Act which comes into force OH Ist November. Briefly, the new regulations mean that employers' payments to registry office keepers are practically doubled, and these charges are considered to be ao exorbitant that employe.-, WiU cease to apply to labor bureaux, and instead advertise in the newspaper* lor their requirements. As far as servants' registry office proprietors are concerned, it will mean that their bu-i----ness will fall away and it will be quite impossible to Make a living out of it. As it is, they contend, they just nuiu v to make a living after paying reufs. telephones, and advertising ft will simply mean survival of the"fittest, remarked the proprietor of one of tinlargest labor bureaux. Those who have a large connection will be able to h.inon the longest, and those with smaller connections will simply have to go to the wall. It is maintained that the ne:v Kale of fees will materially aiT<<t farmers and station-owners who arc accustomed to employ their employees through the medium of labor agents* A telegram of protest against any legislation providing for servants paying half the present fees and employers double the present fees, on the grounds that it would mean the closing of all registry ofiices in Dunedin, was to-dav forwarded by local labor a trout- t-» the Minister of Labor and local M.ll.R.'s. Chri>tchurch, Last Ni^lit.

The local ofliee proprietor-, are l«»ud in their condemnation of the Hew* and tWv allege that tin l liuVernnunt is endeavoring to divert nil the business to the State labor bureau. They also say that the employers will never pay the increased fees, but will da their own advertising.

At a meeting of the Christchurdi registry office proprietors held to-ni«ht. the following motion was carried Unanimously:—"This meeting of all the Clirintchurch registry office-keeper* emphatically protests against the amended scale of fees, as it will undoubtedly Interfere with the interests of all. and considers that the present scale of fees |3 Uie most practicable to all concerne"':" TCa3 also decided to communiwith the other centres with a view ILTr^- 0 ' or P ,nil, ing a representative deputation to wait on the Minister for